Boraxo for ant control???
AB
Has anyone used Boraxo to eliminate ants in the house? I know there
are pesticides that we can use, but I'd rather use something less
toxic.
Background:
We live in the woods, very much in the country. We have carpenter ants
on a regular basis and they are easily controlled using Boraxo and
sugar water. Just leave it on the counter or in their path, and they
flock around it and within a day, they stop visiting!
It is not uncommon for us to see them in the Spring/Summer, they float
into and out of the house. When we see more than one or 2 at a time,
we mix Boraxo/sugar and leave it out. End of problem!
Outside our house, we see hundreds of carpenter ants during the
Spring/Summer. There are so many of them, we can't find all the nests!
If we find a nest, we spread Boraxo in the area of the nest, the nest
dies within a week. If the nest is in a tree, we leave boraxo/sugar
water rags at the base of the tree, the nest dies within 24 hours.
To make a long story short, Boraxo and sugar water does seem to kill
carpenter ants!
The Problem:
This Spring, we have regular ants and they won't go away! These are
not carpenter ants, they are much smaller brown ants. They are coming
out of our wall near the kitchen sink. They feed on anything sweet on
the kitchen counter, but do not go after crumbs spilled on the floor
or the counter, so they are not after protein. We have had lots of
rain, so we don't think they are after the water.
We have been cleaning the counter and keeping the sink free of dishes,
but they seem to always be there, even without any obvious food
sources.
So, yesterday, I put out some sugar/Boarxo mix on the counter. They
have been pigging out for almost a day now and there is no sign of
them stopping. If this was a carpenter ant invasion, they would all be
dead by now! But, these other ants seem to be enjoying the Boraxo like
it was chocolate ice cream!
Any suggestions (without using store bought toxins)??
Thanks,
Art in Maine
Beecrofter
> Good day all,
>
> Has anyone used Boraxo to eliminate ants in the house? I know there
> are pesticides that we can use, but I'd rather use something less
> toxic.
>
Boric acid is used to make a bait containing from 1-2% boric acid in
heavy sugar syrup. The addition of mint or other flavoring seems to
help them take up the bait.
For a reference see if your public library has the book "Common sense
pest control"
JohnR
exterminators. There are several commercial roach control products that are
nothing but boric acid. Boraxo is just a coarse version of boric acid.
What happens is that it gives the bugs what amounts to arthritis by lodging
in the joints of their exoskeleton.
Rufus
AB
wrote:
Thanks Rufus,
My info said that the carpenter ants cannot digest the Boraxo, so they
die soon after eating it.
This has been my observation as well, Boraxo works!
The other ants, which are small brown ants (not carpenter ants) seem
to be loving the Boraxo/sugar! Perhaps the non-wood eating ants have
the abilty to digest the Boraxo?
I'm, watching them now. Their numbers are down at the moment, but
earlier today they were lined up 10 deep surrounding the Boraxo/sugar
I left out on the counter.
More later.
Art
David Hare-Scott
>
> Has anyone used Boraxo to eliminate ants in the house? I know there
> are pesticides that we can use, but I'd rather use something less
> toxic.
>
What is Boraxo? From the name it sounds like some mixture containing a
boron compound - but which one?
..snip...
> The Problem:
>
> This Spring, we have regular ants and they won't go away! These are
> not carpenter ants, they are much smaller brown ants. They are coming
> out of our wall near the kitchen sink. They feed on anything sweet on
> the kitchen counter, but do not go after crumbs spilled on the floor
> or the counter, so they are not after protein. We have had lots of
> rain, so we don't think they are after the water.
>
> We have been cleaning the counter and keeping the sink free of dishes,
> but they seem to always be there, even without any obvious food
> sources.
>
> So, yesterday, I put out some sugar/Boarxo mix on the counter. They
> have been pigging out for almost a day now and there is no sign of
> them stopping. If this was a carpenter ant invasion, they would all be
> dead by now! But, these other ants seem to be enjoying the Boraxo like
> it was chocolate ice cream!
>
> Any suggestions (without using store bought toxins)??
>
> Thanks,
>
> Art in Maine
We don't have a big ant problem but borax (sodium tetraborate) and sugar
with a little warm water works here. Any boron compound is quite
poisonous to insects, I think it very unlikely that your brown ants are
eating it and surviving. Most likely there are many of them and it is
taking a while for them to all take a turn at your feeding station. If
they continue to eat it I would continue to supply it, you _will_ reduce
their numbers in time.
Maybe carpenter ants are smarter and learn to avoid the poison? Nah.
David
Harper
>What is Boraxo? From the name it sounds like some mixture containing a
>boron compound - but which one?
It's a powdered hand soap containing sodium borate decahydrate (borax).
More info can be found at the National Institutes of Health's National
Library of Medicine Household Products Database: http://tinyurl.com/iv3v
--
When you don't know where you're going, every road will take you there.
Harper
David Lewis
Thought I'd throw this in for good measure.
We had a few ants nests coming up through a crack in our paved driveway. Not
waiting to use pesticide because of kids, dogs and other rural creatures, I
though, ah, we have a really crappy bottle of red wine, why not try that.
Simply a lark. Well, I poured a cup over both areas where the ants came out
and by the morning, and months since, nothing. Hmmm. Maybe the ants don't
like red wine?
David
AB
JoshuaTree
ants. Use one of the abrasive kitchen powders , it has finer granules.
On Sat, 02 Aug 2003 11:56:17 -0500, Bob Adkins <bo...@charter.net>
wrote:
>On Sat, 02 Aug 2003 10:47:48 -0400, AB <art...@uninets.net> wrote:
>
>>Any suggestions (without using store bought toxins)??
>
>Great tip about the borax. Maybe boric acid would work.
>
>Doggone carpenter ants have personality. You can hassle them and they turn
>their head toward you and study you. I get a creepy feeling when I mash
>them.
>
>As far as man-made chemicals, I don't quite understand your reasoning. Some
>of the nastiest chemicals and poisons occur naturally. Man-made chemicals
>are often more safe than their naturally occurring counterparts.
>
>I use Amdro on the smaller ants that like to eat oily foods. I put a pile on
>the kitchen counter, and they carry it directly outside to the nest. It ends
>up a foot underground, and breaks down into harmless components. I doubt
>borax breaks down at all.
>
>Bob
Dances With Puppies® © ™
art...@uninets.net says...
> Good day all,
>
> Has anyone used Boraxo to eliminate ants in the house? I know there
> are pesticides that we can use, but I'd rather use something less
> toxic.
We use Boric Acid. In a hurry? Sprinkle the powder around the areas you
want to block. If you have time, make a hummingbird syrup (4 water:1
sugar) and add a couple of tablespoons Boric Acid powder. Paint on
infested surfaces.
Oddly, cucumber peelings also deter ants.
--
Wolf
"Life is a wave. Your attitude is your surfboard."
-- Drew Kampion
